BLOCKBUSTER! (2019)
ARC Wrestling '''Blockbuster! (stylized as BLOCKBUSTER!) '''was a professional wrestling pay per view event promoted and produced by professional wrester Zack Hardy that took place on June 2, 2019 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The event was the first event promoted by Hardy, and featured performers from various promotions. The event was available on Ultimate Showcase Wrestling's "USW InTake" streaming service, as well as UZ Media's new "UZ Direct" service, and the event was available on demand following it's live broadcast on both platforms. The event was advertised as an "ARC Wrestling" event, which Hardy had announced would be a new promotion that would run future shows after the Blockbuster! event. The event was headlined by Mr. Anthony (who performed under his original name on the independent circuit Brian Anthony at the event), defending the USW Blue Belt Championship against Tyreke Carver in Carver's championship rematch. The event was notable for the surprise victory of Sam Basin and Shane Grayson, who defeated Ezarank Hills and Benny Franklin to become the new USW Tag Team Champions, despite not being signed under contract to Ultimate Showcase Wrestling. With the event being the first show for ARC Wrestling, three brand new championships were introduced into the company for all future shows run. The ARC United States Heavyweight Championship, ARC Women's Championship, and ARC Heavyweight Championships were on the line and crowned their inaugural champions at the event. The event received positive reception for it's usage of talent with little to no back story, as well as proper pacing between matches on the card. The event was bought on pay per view by 22,000 people, with most of the buys coming from the USW InTake platform. At the event, the next ARC Wrestling pay per view was announced for November 2019 during Ultimate Showcase Wrestling's Bullet Proof weekend, with the event being called "ARC Wrestling: DAY OF RECKONING!" Background Zack Hardy began wrestling in January of 2008, and expressed a subtle desire and interest in running his own wrestling shows in 2011. Hardy held three different shows in 2014 under the name "Cant Be Caged Wrestling" and five shows in 2016 under the name "AOB Wrestling." On January 11, 2019; Hardy announced the time and date for Blockbuster!, and revealed the streaming options as well as playback opportunities after the show. Hardy has announced that in his contract with Ultimate Showcase Wrestling, which he signed to in December of 2018, that the promotion would allow wrestlers to compete for any show Hardy would put on whilst under contract with the promotion, as long as they are physically and mentally cleared for active competition. This will be the only ARC Wrestling show to feature the original ARC Wrestling logo, as an updated version was revealed in May of 2019. The match card was announced starting on May 2, 2019; where company founder Zachary Serra announced that he would be competing against Dallas Jackson at the event. Furthermore, the company announced the creation of the ARC Women's Championship, ARC United States Heavyweight Championship, and ARC Heavyweight Championships to be fought for at the event in their first appearance in the company. The company later announced intentions to create a set of tag team championships and a ternary championship in future events after BLOCKBUSTER!. On January 11, 2019; Hardy announced the theme songs for the event would include CRX's "Broken Bones", Cortes' "Loose Ends", TV On The Radio's "Wolf Like Me", She Pulled The Trigger's "Now / Never", and Aim To Head's "No Way.", as well as the sponsor's to the event would include Hardy's companies UZ Media and The Wrestle Target. In late-January, Serra confirmed that the event would broadcast live over the USW InTake service. Furthermore, Serra announced in April of the same year that the event would also be broadcast live over the UZ Media streaming service, "UZ Direct." The USW InTake broadcast is listed as being available for $19.99 (u.s dollar) whilst the UZ Direct broadcast is listed as being available for $24.99 (u.s dollar) with a live, two-hour post-show media interview available directly after the conclusion of the live broadcast. Match Card